


The Bomont Tragedies

by sbingle2018



Category: Footloose (2011)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24459400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sbingle2018/pseuds/sbingle2018
Summary: 6 months, that's how little time Bomont had to mourn before tragedy struck again.
Relationships: Willard Hewitt/Ren McCormack
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Major character deaths. Read with caution.

One tragic accident, one split second... tore it all to the ground

  
"I'll never forget the moment my world stopped, the moment I heard about the accident. When you were ripped from my world, and it crashed to the ground. I'll never forget what Wes said to me... "Ren, there's been an accident. Willard... he, he uhh. He didn't make it." I screamed, I threw things at him at the walls. My heart had been ripped from my chest, you were my best friend. I miss you every single day, I call your phone just to hear your voice mail. It's all I have left of you, I wear your hats... even the goofy straw hat you danced around with in your overalls. I have a bunch of your shirts, I keep one with me everywhere I go. Will I miss you more than anything, I never told you my true feelings but I did kiss your cheek before they closed your casket. My heart broke into a million pieces that day... you were driving your normal route, it was like any other day. A semi blew a tire and it smashed into your windshield, you were killed instantly. The only solice I have is that you didn't suffer... but that's now what I have to do here alone without you. I suffer, day in and day out without you. No one to talk to, you were the only person in this town other than my family that was a constant in my life. 

I've written you hundreds of letters, multiple times in a day I have sat here and written to you. I have signed them each the same 'my only hope' because you were man... you were the only hope I had to make it here in this town. I'm broken, I'm depressed and I cry non stop... hell I don't even know if I have tears left to cry anymore. At 17 our lives are barely beginning, and that one second stole the most beautiful soul from my life. I've thought about that day over and over again, I can remember every damn detail. I woke up, I was wearing my black gym shorts and my white t-shirt, one sock on and one sock off. I had breakfast and as I ate my pancakes I texted you that I would see you later. I got dressed, I wore jeans, my converse and a navy blue t-shirt.

We met up at the car wash, we shot the shit for a while. And, we made plans to meet up at the yearbook... you were on the way home from the carwash. If I had kept you just a few minutes longer there talking to me, you'd still be alive. You'd still be here, Will there are a million things I would do differently about that day. I'm about 4 shots into a bottle of Jim Beam, and I'm losing grip on my sanity now. I can't do this anymore without you, it's been 6 months and everyone tells me all I need is time. But, it hits be every morning that it's all a lie... I've never done this before. And, I'll mever do it again. I'm leaving the stage in the middle of my song." 

\- my only hope


	2. Why

Tragedy has shaken Bomont to it's core yet again.

  
The headline in the papers read 'Second Tragedy in 6 months leaves another Bomont teen dead.' The story went on to mention the death of 17 year old Ren McCormack, his senior photo on the front page. It listed all his good qualities and the smile he had in that photograph was called illuminating. The article praised his good deeds in the town, told of his church devotion and the devastation this event had bestowed upon his living family. It didn't mention the months of torment he suffered through after the death of his best friend Willard Hewitt... the first teen taken too soon in that little sleepy town...

I read that article hundreds of times in the following days, I wondered how I hadn't seen it... I was his aunt, how did I not know? He lived with us and I felt somehow responsible because I had left him slip through the cracks. Our girls were destroyed, Wes was beating himself up really badly over this whole thing. I think the worst part of it all is how he died... Wes noticed he hasn't up getting ready for school yet and he was never late for breakfast, he walked out to the shop. He noticed the shop door closed which was strange for Ren because he never closed it... after opening the door Wes found him, arms full of papers, letters to Willard, the paper that featured his article, Willard's picture and his mother's picture. Wes had rushed over to him, found him not breathing... he was pale, his lips were blue. 

I heard Wes screaming for me, I ran to the shop and hit my knees in horror at the sight of my nephew laying there. There was nothing we could do, it was much too late. Paramedics arrived and told us he was gone long before we found him. He had closed the shop door, cranked his car, left it running and he just laid down right there. He never fought, he didn't try to change his mind mid process... he had given up his will to live and fought his body's will to survive. An empty bottle of Jim Beam was on his desk weighing down a note, his suicide note. It was written to us 'Wes and Lulu. Please do not be angry with my decisions. There's nothing that could be done, no one can bring back Willard... I've made this decision and by the time you find this letter just please try to understand that I made this decision to free myself of daily torment. I needed out and no amount of running and no matter the distance between me and Bomont, it wouldn't have taken me any closer to Willard. Just know I have loved you all, I know you nor the girls will understand the reasoning behind my choices. I can only hope that in time you find solice that for once since my mother and Willard died I have found peace. With all my love your nephew. Ren.' 

  
Now, here we are gathered around a casket for the second time in 6 months.. only this time we are the ones being held up from breaking. He's beautiful, he's at peace. I put all his letters, the news paper articles for both of them and his two most precious pictures he owned into that god forsaken box with him. I'm hurting, because I now feel the torment of wishing I could have done more.. only Ren didn't have anyone else really. Willard was it for him. I usher my girls back toward the car and look back to Wes who is knelt at the casket with his head in his hands, his sobs wracking his body. Hearing that casket close is a sound I won't ever as long as I live forget. The locks on the steel tomb around it, felt like bullets hitting me. I got the girls into the car and drug Wes away from the grave, watching Ren's casket close was enough... I couldn't let him watch them pour dirt in, as if closing the casket wasn't final enough. Watching him be buried would haunt Wes forever if I let him watch it. 

A flash of red caught my eye a cardinal landed on top of the tent over Ren's grave, then another and they both departed together. All I could do was smile and cry as I looked at them fly higher, "take care of my boy Willard. Take care of each other." 


End file.
